PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE - LITTLE MOUSE'S FAVORITE RECIPE

Most Asians love chiffon cakes, especially pandan-flavoured ones! A good chiffon cake is very light, soft like a souffle and it stands tall. Baking it can be intimidating for some, but once the skill is acquired, there is no turning back. My cakes used to shrink, so I took some time to understand where I went wrong. There were many trials before I finally succeeded, and still I felt that all efforts were not wasted. 

Pandan chiffon cake is usually the first chiffon cake to attempt. I think this is the only green bake one can find in Asia apart from matcha green tea. Hmmm.... However, there are other exciting flavours too, once we conquer this basic chiffon!

"Definition: Pandan (Scientific Name: Pandanus, also known as screw pine or palm pine) is a herbaceous tropical plant that grows in Southeast-Asia.  In Chinese, it is known as 'fragrant plant' because of its unique, sweet aroma. The cultivated plant features upright bright green leaves, and it's the leaves that are desired for cooking up many Thai and Southeast-Asian dishes. (https://www.thespruce.com/cooking-with-pandan-3217067)"

Pandan leaves are rampant in Southeast Asia. Even in cities such as Singapore where land is scarce, it is common sight to see these plants outside homes along corridors or balconies. Many will prefer to plant our own pandan leaves, since we use this in many other Asian dishes as well, and ensure that they are fully organic!

one of the pots of pandan leaves I have along the corridor

This recipe is not my own. A relative passed this to me where she learned from a baking teacher when she was younger. Many who had tasted her pandan chiffon cakes would tell me how good they were! She sold them mostly during Chinese New Year. Naturally, being one of her favourite nieces, she was so very willing to share with me. I had her permission now to "expose" it to friends since she had retired from selling her bakes. 

Notes:

Amount of sugar can be reduced slightly, but reduce from (A) only. However, I find the sweetness just nice for me.

The original recipe called for cream of Tartar which I replaced with white vinegar and salt. 

I replaced pandan essence and pandan paste with real pandan extracts. (Always try to avoid chemicals if possible)

Baking powder is optional. Omitting it will not affect texture and taste, just that it might not be as tall as it should be.

It is best to use fresh coconut milk cream, however I use UHT cartons ones.

PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE - LITTLE MOUSE'S FAVORITE RECIPE
Ingredients
(A)
4 egg yolks (from 60g eggs)
85g caster sugar

(B) 
85g coconut cream (pandan leaves infused)*
50g corn or canola oil

(C)
115g low protein flour
3g baking powder (optional)

(D)
7 egg whites (from 60g eggs)
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
57g caster sugar


Method
1. Preheat oven at 150C, with rack placed at lower level.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk (A) well with a hand whisk. Do not whisk to thicken the yolks.

3. Add in (B) and mix well.

4. Sift (C) into yolk mixture, with the hand whisk, mix gently until no lump can be seen.

5. In another dry, grease-free mixing bowl, whisk egg whites till foamy. Add salt and vinegar. Continue whisking while slowly adding all sugar by tablespoons and whisk until 70-80% stiff. This is meringue.**

6. Scoop 1/3 of meringue into yolk mixture. Fold in gently.

7. Pour yolk mixture into meringue balance. Fold in gently until no white streaks can be seen.

8. Pour into 21cm chiffon mold to fill up to 80% of mold. Give a few taps to remove air pockets. (make any batter excess into cupcakes)

9. Bake at 150C for about 80 min. Cake is done when golden crust is formed around the raised inner hole.

10. Remove cake from oven and drop chiffon to ground from height of 1 feet. This is to shock the cake to prevent shrinking.

11. Immediately invert cake to cool completely in mold. Cake should invert at a height of at least 15cm to ensure good heat dispersion. (Try to let cake cool normally on its own, avoid fan or air-conditioning)

12. Once it is completely cooled, remove chiffon cake from mold and serve.

*Snip pandan leaves and add into coconut cream. Using a blender, blitz well, strain through cheese cloth to achieve 85g coconut cream.

** Whisk egg whites at high speed at first. When meringue turns stiff, whisk at low speed for a few minutes to reduce air bubbles. 

Pandan leaves infused coconut cream